Victoria Pearls Depart for Inaugural ICC Trophy in Thailand
THE Victoria Pearls, Uganda’s national women’s cricket team, departed for Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday to compete in the inaugural ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, running from November 18-30.
Fresh from a 5-0 mauling of Canada to win the Victoria Series, the Pearls will compete internationally for the first time since their underwhelming World Cup qualifiers in Namibia two months ago.
After facing only African opposition in Namibia, the team now challenges tougher competition, including five ODI nations: PNG, Scotland, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and hosts Thailand.
Namibia and Tanzania complete the African contingent.
The round-robin format ensures the Victoria Pearls play every team, offering a crucial test against higher-ranked opposition. All five ODI nations are ranked ahead of Uganda. Hosts Thailand sit highest at 11th. Uganda, ranked 17th, enters one and two spots ahead of rivals Namibia and Tanzania, respectively.
The Pearls open their campaign against Scotland on Thursday, November 20, and conclude against the Netherlands on November 30.
This new global competition follows the successful ODI World Cup in India, which recorded millions of viewers. According to the ICC, the tournament is “part of a three-tier development pathway designed to offer high-performance exposure to emerging nations.”
